


sExiled

by ahazyshadeofwinter



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Eventual Smut, Exploring the City at Night, F/M, Fancy Apartments, M/M, Romance, Sexile, Social Worker Rey, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-12-13
Packaged: 2020-07-10 13:55:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19906795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ahazyshadeofwinter/pseuds/ahazyshadeofwinter
Summary: When Rey decided to room with her friends, Finn and Poe, she didn't really think about the downsides of rooming with a couple in an apartment with extremely thin walls.What happens when Rey is sexiled to her apartment's lounge to wait out her friends' *alone time* and meets Kylo Ren, a newbie to the city who is in her exact same predicament?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This is a new story idea I'm trying out so let me know what y'all think!

Rey was feeling some mixed emotions lately about deciding to share an apartment with Finn and Poe. 

On the one hand, their apartment was always clean, rent was cheaper, and their counter almost always had some type of dessert on it (courtesy of Poe in-the-military-I-never-got-dessert Dameron). Plus,she got to live with the most adorable puppy in the world, BB-8. 

On the other hand, her two best friends in the entire world fucked very, _very_ loudly. And in case anyone was wondering, the three of them did indeed have separate rooms. But the walls were literally _paper_ thin. 

So here Rey was, a gif of llamas on her phone indicating that her roommates were not to be disturbed, walking down to the small lounge their fancy apartment building had for people to work at. 

It was so completely empty and quiet, save for the quiet hum of the elevator across the room.

She sighs, setting down her bag next to her on the couch, and opening up her laptop. Rey was a clinical social worker, having been through the Foster Care system herself, she had recognized the importance of having good people in that line of work. 

Today, she had been working with a family who wanted to adopt a child from a foster family they knew was not treating the child right. It would be a mess of paperwork and lawyers and Rey would have to start on it right now if she wanted to make it to Rose’s birthday party tomorrow night. 

She glances at the clock across the empty lounge. 10:15. 

Rey couldn’t blame the guys for being at it so late, especially since she’d told them she might be at the office until midnight. But she just wanted to crack open a bottle of wine, eat 2 bowls of Poe’s dulce de leche, and change into sweatpants before she had to start cracking on these documents. 

Was she salty? A little. But who could blame her. 

Rey pulls up Spotify and puts her earbuds in. She’d been on a John Legend kick recently, his voice was slicker than butter in a hot pan. 

She kicks up her feet and nuzzles into the couch as she starts typing away. 

***

Rey wakes up with a start, shrieking a little as she sees a really tall man hovering over her, hand outstretched to poke her own arm. 

“Excuse you!” 

“Excuse me? You’re the one snoring away in the lounge. I’m surprised you didn’t wake up the whole building,” his voice is deep as he steps away, moving back over to a table where a laptop and computer bag is set up, “Some of us are actually trying to get work done.” 

She looks at him astonished while she gets her bearings. 

“Listen here, mister, I do _not_ snore-” 

“Oooookay-” 

“I don’t. And if you don’t like it, you are _more_ than welcome to go back to your apartment.” 

Rey takes her hair out from it’s bun, shaking it out to wake herself up. Then she takes a good look at the man. 

He’s tall. Even while sitting down, he’s very tall. He has wavy, jet black hair, and a very chiseled jaw. 

If Rey wasn’t groggily pissed off right now, she’d appreciate him more. 

“You’re out of luck, I can’t,” he shrugs, “Just going to have to deal with me, I guess.” 

She frowns, looking down at her now asleep laptop, “What? Are your roommates fucking or something?”

When he doesn’t respond, she looks up, and he’s staring at her with amusement. 

“What?’ 

“It’s just-” he snorts, “It just sounds so British when you put it that way. So proper. No they’re not _fucking_ , just screwing around apparently. Or at least that’s what my asshole of a roommate likes to say.” 

Rey gasps, “We’ve both been sexiled!” 

He lets out a short laugh, and its deepness rumbles through Rey’s chest. 

“That...is not a word-” 

“Yes it is!” 

“Not in the proper English dictionary. You know, _your people_ -” 

“Were the ones who came up with the English language? So I should be good at grammar too, huh?” She rolls her eyes. Unkar Platt, her last foster parent, had made her transcribe page after page after page of recordings of his illegal business partners so he could have something to hold over them. He’d slapped her every time she’d put a comma in the wrong place. 

On the bright side, he did teach her how to properly read and write after 16 years of her life. 

“Jeez, alright. No need to get all defensive,” he peers at her over his laptop, “What’s your name?” 

“Catherine. Catherine Middleton, it’s such a pleasure-” 

“Bullshit. I’m Kylo. Kylo Ren.” 

“Bullshit,” she shakes her head, “That’s not a real name, is it?” 

“It truly is. I can show you my license.” 

“All right, hand it over, then,” She holds out her hand, even though he’s a good 10 feet away from her. 

“Not until I get your real name,” he starts pulling his license out of his wallet. 

She narrows her eyes, confused at this weird game they’re playing, then fishes her own license out of her wallet. 

They both get up at the same time, like they’re having a proper 18th century duel, and meet at the middle, swapping licenses instead of deciding who shoots first. 

_Ren, Kylo_

_6’2’’_

_Eyes: Brown_

_Date of Birth-_

“Hey you’re only 6 years older than me,” Rey hands him back the license as he gives her back her own. 

“Yay?” He doesn’t sound excited at all. 

“No, I mean, it’s cool to know that it’s not just older people who live in this complex.” 

“Can I expect a fruit basket from you then? Maybe a cobbler for your new neighbor?” He smirks, causing dimples to appear on his cheeks.

“You’re new to the city?” 

“Yes.” He nods briskly.

“Where are you from then?” 

“D.C.” 

Rey’s face brightens, “Oh I’ve always wanted to go there! It must be so historic right? What with all of the monuments and-” 

“When half of your prom group is chain smoking in front of the Lincoln Memorial, it’s sort of hard to see the historic values our forefathers instilled in this country’s future generations.” 

Rey cringes, “Oh. So not that great then.” 

“Not to a native. But I guess that’s true anywhere you go. New Yorkers avoid Times Square like the plague if they can help it.” 

“Hmm. I suppose you’re right,” Rey nods, “Have you explored this city at all yet? I don’t think I could ever get tired of it.” 

“Not really,” Kylo shakes his head, “Ever since I’ve gotten involved in this new company, I don’t get much time for wandering.” 

_That’s a damn shame,_ Rey thinks. 

But an idea pops into her head. One that seems so batshit insane that she knows she’s going to _hear it_ from Finn and Poe tomorrow morning. 

Hey, this was their fault for stranding her anyways. 

“So I’m obviously not going to get any work done tonight,” Rey looks back at her laptop, “And the alternative is you sitting here, hearing me snore-” 

“Mhm.” 

“How about we go explore the city a bit? It’s night, so not too crowded, and I’m sexiled for at least,” Rey checks the clock, “...another hour and 15. What do ya say?” 

He furrows his brows, “You would really go out at night with a complete stranger, just to explore the city with him?” 

She shrugs. 

He stares. 

She contemplates taking back the offer. 

“All right, let’s do it.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the Kudos and comments guys! I really appreciate it. Here's chapter 2 to this story...I hope you enjoy and let me know what y'all think!

Rey couldn’t exactly figure Kylo out. 

Sure, she might have been the weirdo who proposed this whole midnight adventure between two apartment-less strangers, but he seemed even weirder than her. And that was saying something. 

For one, he was walking a good 4 feet apart from her on the small city sidewalk. Every time she tried to walk closer, like a normal human being would, he would drift away, almost to the point of falling onto the street. His hands were constantly in his pockets, too, so he couldn’t exactly break his fall.

They’d been walking for 10 minutes now, and not once had he changed the scowling expression on his face. But even when they were talking, he’d open his mouth and somehow his eyes were  _ still  _ locked in the scowl.

It was almost admirable. 

“So what do you do, exactly?” 

“I’m a clinical social worker,” Rey says as they turn the corner towards the wharf. 

He furrows his brows, “So you work with kids then?” 

“Families, too. And individual adults, it’s really a broad spectrum of people who require my help. But yes, I try to focus my time on helping kids. Especially within the Foster Care system.” 

“That’s…” Rey braces for impact, “Very admirable of you.” 

Huh. Usually when she told people she was a social worker, the first thing that came out of their mouths was “Oh you must deal with a bunch of crazy people, right?” or “What’s the craziest thing a client has ever done?”. 

“Thank you. I really love what I do,” Rey smiles at him as she guides him down another street, “What about you? Oh! Wait, no let me guess...you’re a Scuba instructor?” 

“I hate fish.” 

“A wedding planner.” 

“Oh  _ God  _ no-”

“Jiu Jitsu Master?” 

He laughs and Rey mentally high fives herself, “I mean I  _ am _ trained in Krav Maga but no.” 

“Branch manager at the local Blockbuster.” 

“Blockbuster’s been closed for years-”

“Exactly,” she grins and he stops walking, shaking his head incredulously at her. 

“You’re weird, Rey,” he purses his lips slightly in what Rey hopes is his attempt at a smile. 

The scowl has finally fallen off of his face, and Rey has never felt so elated. Why? She has no clue.

“Weird attracts weird, and  _ you  _ were the one who decided to spend the night roaming the city with me so-” 

“Right. About that...where exactly are we go-” 

He stops mid sentence as they finally make it to the open expanse of the wharf. 

“Welcome, one and all, to the beautiful oceanfront of our city!” Rey yells to the empty plaza, opening her arms and spinning around in a circle. 

“You’re going to attract even more weirdos with this performance you have going on,” he walks ahead to the railing so he can see the water. 

“Well you’ll just have to fight them off with your Krav Maga skills. Unless they’re cool enough to join our little midnight adventure gang.” 

“I don’t know. I’d imagine there’d be a tough screening process,” Kylo says and Rey laughs, surprised that he made a joke, “I heard it’s pretty hard to get into.” 

“Oh yeah. You have to prove your worth by doing a series of dares. For example, Kylo, I dare you to go hijack that carousel with me.” 

She turns to the ornately crafted, blue and black, space-themed carousel that sits around 30 feet down the wharf. Rey hadn’t ridden a carousel until the first time Finn and Poe took her to an amusement park at 20 years old. She’d been on this one at least a thousand times since then.

She didn’t know if Kylo would want to, but no one took a ride on a carousel and  _ hated it _ , right?

“I’ve never ridden one.” 

She turns to him, shocked. Rey didn’t exactly have a childhood and even she had ridden one by now. And he was older than her. 

“All the more reason to do it, then. Besides, you don’t want to lose your position in this little gang, do you?” 

He glares at her, but she just turns on her heel and marches over to the ride. She knows he’s behind her with the sharp clack of his shoes on the pavement. 

Rey clambers over the short fence to get to the control panel. Which...needs a code to start it. 

_ Damn. _

“What happened? Why aren’t you illegally clicking away at the buttons?” Kylo had crouched down next to her at stared at the panel, “Oh it’s a code.” 

He punches in 1-1-1-1. 

The carousel lights up. 

Rey just stares at him. 

He shrugs, “You never guessed master codebreaker.” 

She scowls at him, “Bullshit.” 

“Correct. Now are we going to do this or should I throw myself off of the dock over there to pass the time until I can go to bed?” 

“We’re going to do this. Come on,” she grabs his hand and he flinches. 

Oh, he’s one of those people that doesn’t like to be touched. 

She pulls away slowly and then heads towards the carousel. The rides here included planets, meteors, stars, the Sun, and the Moon, just to name a few. Rey heads towards the Sun, but Kylo grabs her hand and pulls her around back. 

So...he’s not one of those people then. 

But she sort of understands why he flinched. This time, a sort of shocking, tingling sensation climbed from her toes to her stomach as he held her hand. It was probably because it was so unexpected.

“This one has two seats,” he says, squeezing her hand once, and then climbing into the spaceship. Or, the Millenium Falcon, as the plaque says. 

“I’m a big girl, I can ride by myself,” she crosses her arms, standing on the pavement.

“I know. I’ve never been on a carousel, remember? And this looks like the most stable thing here,” he pats the wide seat, “But if I ride in it alone, that’s just sad-” 

“ _ Okay _ , alright,” she walks back towards the control panel to start the ride, “But I’m snoring the whole ride through because the Sun’s the fastest one. And this _ Millenium Falcon _ is gonna bore me to sleep.”

He doesn’t respond, just buckles himself into the Falcon. 

Rey clicks the button, then sprints over and jumps onto the carousel. She slides into the Falcon’s seat just as it starts picking up speed. 

There’s just something about the thrill of doing something wrong combined with the adrenaline of a carousel and the companionship of a new friend that makes Rey feel the lightest she’s ever felt. Even if the Falcon is slower, she laughs at the wind whipping through her hair. At the lurching feeling in her stomach. At the slightly bewildered yet exhilarated expression on Kylo’s face as the ride turns and turns and turns.

“Isn’t this fun!” 

“Define fun!” 

“Oh, come on!” 

“Wait, what’s that?!” He yells over the mechanical whir, pointing to the little lever on the ground. 

Rey furrows her brow. She’d never ridden in the Falcon before. She leans down and reads the tiny print. 

“Lightspeed?! What does that mean?!” 

“Only one way to find out!” 

He flicks the lever and suddenly their carousel spins 10 times faster. 

“Kylo!”

Kylo grabs Rey’s arm, just as she lurches sideways out of her seat. Her seatbelt had been broken, so she didn’t bother putting it on.

“Oh shit! Oh shit!” Rey yells, just as Kylo lets out a “Woohoo!” 

“How are you enjoying this,  _ now _ !? I feel like it’s going to break!” 

“Remember when you wanted to ride on the Sun?!” 

“Shut up!” 

“It’s fine I’ve got you! Just enjoy it,” he wraps his long arm around Rey’s waist, using his other arm to hold onto her left one. 

He smells like a campfire in the middle of winter... and the air right before it snows. Rey leans into him a little. For stability. 

Kylo looks down at her, a full fledged smile on his face. 

“Enjoying the city so far?!” She asks as they spin around and around and around. 

“I guess so...but maybe we should get off soon and actually go explore more of it?!”

“That’s probably a good idea!” 

Though, if it were up to Rey, this moment right here would continue for just one more second. 

This was the most intoxicated she’s felt since the last time she drank.

But Kylo reaches down with the hand not wrapped around Rey’s waist, and flicks the switch again, turning off lightspeed. 

The carousel instantly calms down, and Rey laughs breathlessly. 

This was batshit insane. 

She was out in the middle of the night, hijacking a carousel with a complete stranger. A complete stranger whose arm was still wrapped around her. 

As the ride completes itself and stalls, Kylo leans his head back, joining in on her laugher. 

Soon, both of them completely lose it, sinking down into their seat and cracking up at the absurdity of this situation. He leans into the crook of her shoulder as he catches his breath.

“This is-”

“So freaking weird.” 

“Weirder question: are you-” 

“Hungry? Absolutely, that worked up an appetite,” Rey sits up, finally, “I know the  _ best  _ 24-hour pizza joint.” 

“Pizza,” he scrunches his nose, and Rey is instantly drawn to that small space between his nose and his mouth. Down to the little arch of his lips, and the sharpness of his jaw. 

She wonders what it would be like to kiss him there. 

But then she pauses at his reaction. 

“What? You don’t like pizza?”

“I mean-” 

“Who in their right mind doesn’t like pizza? It has everything you could ever want! You can get it with tomato sauce, pesto, garlic sauce, no sauce if that’s your thing. And all of the  _ cheeses _ and don’t get me started on top-” 

He covers her mouth with his hand, and she jerks back at the touch. 

Kylo sighs, running that hand through his hair. The calloused hand that was just on Rey’s  _ lips- _

“I don’t  _ not  _ like pizza. It’s just...so unhealthy.” 

“Well this is a once in a lifetime night so this pizza could be your once in a lifetime cheat food.” 

“Only once in a lifetime?” 

She shrugs, “I guess we’ll have to see. I mean if you’re really  _ that  _ opposed to pizza, I guess we can’t be friends. But I’ll also remind you about the Sun-” 

“Alright, fine, we’ll get the pizza,” he scowls, “But that’s the last time you lord it over me, Rey.” 

“Fair deal,” she holds out her hand and he looks at it for a second. Then, slowly, his gaze travels up to her face and he shakes it. 

***

They walk back to their apartment complex, eating on the go. 

Rey had been right. He did,  _ really _ like the pizza.

But it was getting late, and they both had work tomorrow, so they couldn’t enjoy it in the almost oppressively warm pizza shop, where the pizza invaded all of your 5 senses.

Maybe on their next once in a lifetime adventure. 

For now, Rey settled on spewing off random, incorrect facts about her lovely city.

“And to your left, you see the Microsoft building. Fun fact, Jimothy Microsoft, the founder of course, was born on that very sidewalk. This building is placed here for historic purposes only.” 

“ _ Alright _ ,” he rolls his eyes, taking another bite, “If you’re gonna tell me wrong things, at least let me come up with a few.” 

“Go for it, Mr. Ren.” 

He snorts at the name as they round the last little block. 

This walk back, he was walking less than a foot away from her. She counted that as a big win.

“Okay. In this H&M over here, you will find clothes in all black as a symbol for... nighttime adventures?” 

Rey swallows the last little bite of her pizza, enjoying the growing panic on his face from her not responding to it. 

“That sucked, I know.”

“I think we’ll have to work on it sometime,” she throws her napkin in the trash bin as they reach the door to their complex.

“I thought this was a once in a lifetime adventure,” he smirks down at her, then stares at her mouth as she tries to meet his eyes. He stands so close now, she has to crane up a bit to see him fully. His jet black hair frames his face so beautifully in the golden hue of the lamplight, “You, uh, have something on your lip.” 

“Oh  _ shit _ ,” she steps back significantly, wiping at her mouth, “Is it gone?” 

“No, no it’s left-” 

She wipes again, but he shakes his head, “you just moved it down.”

“Come  _ on,” _ she brings her shirt up to her mouth, wiping aggressively, and when she asks him to check he grimaces. 

“Here just let me-” 

In two steps, he’s reached her and his thumb is on her lips, brushing softly over them. It takes everything in Rey not to dart her tongue out to meet his finger. 

Heat pools in her core as the pad of his thumb brushes her cheekbone and settles behind her jaw. Suddenly, he blinks rapidly and steps back. 

“Got it.” 

“T-Thank you,” Rey manages, then takes a deep breath, “Hope you enjoyed our little tour of the city. Sorry it wasn’t more thorough. Or practical. Or...accurate-” 

“I had fun,” he smiles, and something in her chest flutters, “I’m sort of mad you showed me that pizza joint now. I have a feeling I’m going to develop an unhealthy habit because of you.” 

“All in a night’s work, Kylo,” she grins, falling into what she’s realized is such easy banter, “Just doing my duty as a member of this city. Keeping small businesses afloat and whatnot.” 

“Speaking of businesses, I should probably head up. I have an early morning tomorrow.” 

“So you work in business, then?” She laughs, “Finally, I get something!” 

He keys in his code and holds the lobby door open for her. 

“Not necessarily. The word business just reminded me of work. Which is tomorrow. Early.”

She scowls at him as they walk to grab their stuff from the lounge lockers. 

“You’re rude.” 

“I know,” he shuts his locker and turns to her again, “Have a good night, Rey. I hope to see you around.” 

She can’t help but feel sad at this. That their once in a lifetime night was truly, finally, over.

“You too, Kylo. Sleep well.” 

He moves towards the stairwell as she heads for the elevator. 

“Wait!” She calls after him as he opens the door. He spins around faster than she can think about what to say next, “What floor are you on?” 

“2nd. Why?” 

“No wonder we haven’t run into each other. I’m on 5th so I was just wondering if the stairs were your healthy habit or because it’s dumb to wait for the elevator.” 

He chuckles, “Let’s call it a bit of both. Goodnight, Rey.” 

“Goodnight.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so glad you guys are liking this!! I hope you like this next installment just as much. And I really appreciate your guys's kudos and comments, I love reading them and seeing what y'all liked and didn't like. ANYWAYS, happy reading!!!

“You did _what_ with _who now?!”_ Finn paces back in forth in front of the couch Rey was now perched on. She had gotten up and dressed early so she’d have time to fill the boys in on her adventure. Now, Rey thinks she might be late for work.

“1-1-1-1...who would’ve thought?” Poe flops down on the couch next to her, handing Rey a plate of fresh-baked banana bread, “Good to keep that in mind. I’d like to try lightspeed-” 

“Right?! It was epic-”

“Poe!” Finn shakes his head incredulously, “She went out with a random guy from the building in the darkness to go hijack a carousel-” 

“Honestly...it sounded fun,” Poe grins, always the one up for adventure, “And it’s not like they strayed _that_ far from here.”

If Finn wasn’t clicking his tongue at her right now, she’d high-five the _hell_ out of Poe. 

Rey nods, “Yeah. I was just showing him around the city. And I’m a big girl, Finn, you know I can handle myself.” 

Finn sighs, picking up BB-8 who had been chewing at his shoelace and handing him to Poe, “It’s not about that. Poe’s been to war and I would be concerned with him lollygagging about with a stranger at night-” 

“Excuse me, sir, I do _not_ lollygag. I mean...I do partake in the lolly and last night there was definitely some gag but-” 

“NO STOP!! MY EARS!” Rey laughs, covering them, “THIS IS EXACTLY WHY I WENT OUT LAST NIGHT.” 

“So if I promise you no more night sex, this won’t happen again?” Finn grins, eyes purposefully not straying to Poe. 

Rey and Finn glance at where he’s lost in thought, scratching BB-8 behind his ear. Then his head jerks up. 

“Wait, _no-”_

Rey and Finn double over, laughing. 

“Uh, uh. I never agreed to this. Rey, you go on having your night adventures, I’ll distract him for you.”

Finn plops himself between Rey and Poe, arms going around both of them as he turns his head to Rey. 

“I’m never gonna convince you to not do something like this again.” 

She leans her head against his arm, “I doubt something like this would ever happen again, but no, you’re probably not.” 

“Well...was he at least cute?” 

“Oooh yeah was he?” 

She glares at the two of them. 

“Come on peanut, is Kylo Ren the second hottest guy in the building or-?” 

“Third, my dear, _third_ ,” Poe says, leaning into Finn. 

“Ugh, alright. He was...I don’t know if this makes sense but _alluring?_ ” 

Poe jumps up, “A THREE SYLLABLE ADJECTIVE. THAT MEANS HE’S HOT AS SHIT.” 

“POE!” Rey groans. 

“REY AND KYLO SITTING IN A TREE-” 

Rey stands up as Poe continues to dance around the room with an alarmed Beebs. 

“Nope, not doing this today-” Rey mutters as she grabs her bag and jacket. 

“JOIN ME FINNY!” Poe grabs his boyfriend’s hand, but Finn just laughs, “K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” 

“B-Y-E!” Rey sings on her way out the door.

***

Rey could not, _for the life of her_ , concentrate. 

She’d met with a few clients and was fully attentive for them and their needs, as a good professional should be. She was good at her job, and loved it. But when it was time for her to finish up that paperwork that should’ve been mostly done last night, about The Asshole who was mistreating her clients’ future adoptive child, she could not focus. 

After a whopping 3 full mugs of coffee Threepio, her assistant, had cut her off. She had realized then, it wasn’t exhaustion that was plaguing her. It was the late-night rendezvous with her new neighbor/friend/person.

Even now, walking to a meeting with First Order PLCC, the lawyers of aforementioned Asshole, Rey swears she can feel the ghost of his light touch against her skin. She can picture the arch above his lips in her mind’s eye and the small smile on his face every time he quipped back at her. She hears that sharp laugh that he permit her and the moans of him enjoying the pizza. Rey is full on sweating by the time she gets to their office.

 _Christ_ , she likes him. 

But no, she needed to get it together. It was one of those things that, when you first meet someone of the gender you like, you always see what it’s like to crush on them for a little. And it usually goes away in, like, a week or two.

He was a new friend, nothing more, and she wouldn’t let this...like of convenience, get in the way of what promised to be a great friendship. 

When Rey walks into Armitage Hux, J.D.’s office, she’s already in a pissed off mood. Mostly because of him, but also because of her annoyingly burgeoning feelings for Kylo. 

“Ah, Rey. So good of you to join us. Do come in,” Hux opens the door, and gestures to the middle chair next between her client’s lawyer and The Asshole.

“Good afternoon, Armitage,” she says, because she just _knows_ it pisses him off, “And to you too, Mr. Snoke and Ms. Kanata. Let’s get this done quickly, shall we?” 

It’s an hour later, and Rey wants to pull her hair out of her scalp strand by strand. 

“Sir, my client expressed concerns with you being anywhere near her child,“ Rey says, “And, with good reason, as I have determined from my many sessions with the boy.” 

“The child doesn’t know how good he had it living with me. He’s too young, too immature now to see the benefits-”

“I’m sure,” Maz drawls in her light accent, “But in any case, expect a restraining order on your desk by next monday. I’m sure he’ll see _the benefits_ after some time apart. What is it they say in America, Rey?” 

Rey liked Maz. They’d worked together on many cases, and the woman did not take a single ounce of shit.

“Absence makes the heart grow fonder?” Rey snorts sarcastically. 

Snoke rages at Maz and Rey for the next half hour before he upends his chair in Hux’s office and storms out. 

Rey can’t wait to drink herself to her death tonight to forget about the horrible injustices and nasty predators that are ruining her faith in humanity. 

And then, tomorrow, she’ll work on compiling everything to make sure that Snoke doesn’t get within a state of this little boy ever again.

***

“You made it!” Rose reaches across the table for Rey’s hand as she slides into the booth at the bar, “Took you long enough.” 

“I know, I’m sorry work ran late,” Rey smiles at her, grasping her hand tighter, “Happiest of birthdays to you, my beautiful friend.” 

Rose squeezes her hand before pulling away and grinning down at the menu. 

Beside her, Finn slings an arm around her waist, giving her a quick hug. 

Rey can’t help but be reminded of Kylo’s strong arm pulling her safely to him at the carousel. 

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she glances down at the menu. 

“I can’t believe dancing here only starts at 11,” Poe frowns, looking down at his watch, “It’s only 8:30.” 

“Which is why this is a bar _crawl_ , Poe,” Jess, whom Poe had introduced to her friend group once she was discharged from the same Air Force battalion he was in, “Not a bar _sleep_.” 

Their little friend group had mostly been shoveled together by Poe once he’d started dating Finn. Rey and Finn had been best friends, having gone through the system together. And Finn had been good friends with Rose, from work. Rey had met Kaydel through an internship she’d had, and reached out to her when they realized they were in the same city. Poe had introduced them to Jess, Snap, and Kare, all friends from the Air Force. 

And, after a small housewarming party for Rey, Finn, and Poe, their group of 8 had become solid as a fucking boulder.

“If that was meant to be a snarky quip it totally failed,” Snap punches her shoulder. She punches him back twice as hard. 

They talk and eat and drink for a while, all of them catching up on the week and singing Happy Birthday to Rose. They all fight over who got the better picture of Rose with the small cupcake and balloons, voices escalating over the Friday night noises.

“Okay, total change of subject, but Rey went out with a shadowy man last night,” Poe interjects, to prevent a full out wrestling match in the bar. Yes, it has happened before. 

But Rey would prefer that to answering her friend’s questions. 

After an agonizing explanation and a QnA session, somewhat reminiscent of Rey’s analysis of her own clients, they all have come to the conclusion that Rey needs to ask him out. 

In the time it takes them to stop psychoanalyzing her night, Rey has polished off at least 5 shots worth of straight whiskey.

“Like I said, it’s just gonna go away in a week. I should just wait-” 

“Okay, I don’t want to pull the birthday card, but I’m PULLING THE BIRTHDAY CARD,” Rose whoops. 

“HELL YEAH YOU ARE,” Finn high fives her. 

“You gotta call him. Tell him you like him,” Rose drawls, “For me? For my birthday.” 

“I can’t just _tell him that!_ ” Rey leans her head back as the world around her starts to dull slightly, banging her head against the seat, “ _Fuck_ I didn’t even get his number. Why didn’t I get his number?”

“Alright, it’s not time for sad and deep thoughts just yet. It’s not 2AM yet, you know the rules!” Poe kicks her feet under the table, “It’s a solid 9:45 here. Let’s blow this popsicle stand and go dancing.”

They walk to a bar closer to where Rey’s apartment is, and she realizes she should’ve just taken Kylo to a bar or something. Something a normal, adult woman, would do with a man who was unquestionably attractive and in need of a good late night adventure. 

_A fucking bar._

When they get into _D’Qar_ , the loud music instantly invades all of Rey’s senses. Her heart syncs up to the beat of the music, her feet carry her with her friends to the dance floor. They spin each other around and pass their drinks around and scream along to the music they’d all heard as young teens. She feels such an intense pang of happiness here with all of them that she’d never dreamed she’d ever have listening to these same songs as a teenager. 

“I fucking love you guys,” Rey puts an arm around Kare and Rose, who both hug her right back. 

“You’re my best friends, ever.” 

“You’re both so amazing! Thank you for making my birthday so special, with our small thing last week and now _this_ -”Rose grins at Rey, then her eyes focus behind her, “Rey, I think that guy’s checking you out.” 

“Oh _get it_ , Rey!” Kare twirls her around to trade places with her ambiguously. 

Rey looks where Rose’s gaze was focused. 

And it’s _fucking Kylo_. 

He’s here. 

And his dark beauty seems to _glow_ under these lights. 

He leans carefully against the wall, breaking eye contact with her as soon as she makes it with him. 

“I’ll be back,” Rey slides past her friends, gaze and mind singularly focused on this man. 

She gets up to him, where he’s turned his face towards the deejay, glass held up to his lips as he takes a sip.

“Roommates fucking again?” She says in way of greeting. 

He splutters out his drink and she pats him on the back. 

“Rey? What are you-” 

“Save it. I know you saw me.” 

“I-” He starts, then swallows, “ _Fuck_ , yes I saw you. But you were with your friends so I didn’t want to-” 

“Nonsense, why don’t I introduce you?!” She says, and then remembers the hour of teasing she got from them at dinner. 

To her relief, he says, “No, it’s okay, I don’t want to intrude.” 

“Like you intruded on my lounge space last night?’ 

He furrows his brow, “Um, if I remember clearly, they told me when I moved in that the lounge was for _all tenants_ -” 

“I think it’s an unspoken rule that, when someone’s sleeping, you don’t wake them up. Lest you disturb them.” 

“Well did you have a disturbing night, Rey?” 

She just laughs in response, the alcohol really taking a toll on her social ability.

“Exactly. No disturbance here,” he takes another sip from his drink and looks down at her over the rim with a dangerous look, “You know, I’ve been thinking about that goddamn pizza all day.”

“I knew it!” Rey grins cheekily, “No one can resist the best pizza in the city. No matter how much of a health nut they are-”

“Watch who you call a nut Ms. Let’s Hijack a Carousel.”

“Excuse you,” she pokes at his chest, “You were the one who broke the code and flipped the lightspeed switch. I happily would’ve stopped at the code.” 

“Oh yeah?” He catches her finger before she can jab into his chest again, “And what would we have done if not the carousel?”

But Rey cannot compute. Her mind is as much wrapped up in his hand as her finger is right now. 

Was he wearing _cologne?_

Normally, Rey would pull away and laugh at the way that her finger was now fucking the circle of his fist. And she would, if not for the huge lump in her throat. And the alcohol, once again, inhibiting her social ability.

“A bar. We’d have gone to a bar,” Rey chokes out as he leans down, slightly. 

She wants to feel more sober than this. Rey wants to remember the way his hand is wrapped so strong yet delicately around her own. She wants to remember the smell of his body and-

She throws away the rest of her drink into the trash can next to him. The music picks up, and Rey can barely hear herself think, let alone whatever he’s about to say next. 

But he leans down, moving his lips next to her ear.

“I don’t think so,” Kylo says, his breath tickling her ear, “What else would you have shown me?” 

“A great many things, Kylo Ren,” Rey finds her voice hoarse and heavy, “Truthfully, there’s this planetarium downtown that I _know_ I could break into. It has the best exhibit on interplanetary travel.” 

He laughs quietly in her ear, and the sound tugs at something right under her navel. 

“Do you have a thing for space-themed joints?” Kylo laughs, “Or for breaking into things.” 

“I grew up in the system. Space took my mind to a galaxy far, far away and breaking in and out of things was a valuable skill,” She doesn’t know why she says it, or if he’ll even care. But with this giddy feeling in her heart, and his lips so close to her own, and their hands wrapped up together, Rey doesn’t give a _shit_. 

Kylo finally lets go of her finger and pulls away from her ear, looking down at her with a wisty look in his face. She could not, _for the life of her,_ guess what he’s gonna say next. 

Did she share too much? Are her tendencies too weird for him? Is- 

Rey curls her fists by her sides to keep from touching him. 

He leans down back towards her and she nods, inclining her ear towards him.

“I’m intrigued now. Let’s go break into that planetarium.”

“Now you’re fueling my bad habit,” Rey laughs breathily as his hands hold her waist.

“Fair is fair.” 

“Well..one could get us arrested and the other would just clog our arteries,” Rey smirks even though he can’t see her face. 

“It’s a worthy risk.” 

“Did I guess firefighter?” 

“What?” 

“As your job. You like risks, and firefighters take risks all the time.” 

She feels his body tremor as he laughs, “Incorrect.” 

“Any other clues? Likes? Dislikes?”

“You in this dress.”

“It’s a romper,” she deadpans before her mind catches up to what he said. _Holy mother of-_

“A... _what_?” 

“A romper. Like a dress but with shorts-”

“Fine. You in this _romper_.”

Rey swallows hard, setting her own hands on his belt, “Like or Dislike?” 

Faster than she can comprehend, Kylo turns his head and presses a hot kiss to the pulse point on her neck. 

Rey stumbles back out of his grasp, heat and confusion and _want_ evaporating from her body in _waves_.

Shit. 

_Fucking s h i t._

“Sorry I’m-” 

Rey doesn’t listen to the rest of his apology, just grabs his arm and hauls him across the room. He stumbles a bit, trying to keep up with her fast pace.

They finally reach one of the back corridors she only knew was there because she’d tracked Finn’s phone here when he’d lost it after a date had once taken him back here. 

It’s a small hallway, dimly lit, and secluded enough to where the music was only slightly quieter. 

“Rey, what the hell-?” 

“I just-,” She pushes Kylo against the wall and shoves their mouths together, fisting the collar of his black shirt in her hand. 

For a moment, Rey thinks she’s ruined their budding friendship completely. Because he _doesn’t kiss back_. He stands there, gaping down at her until she pulls away, putting the back of her hand on her forehead. 

“I’ve misread this haven’t I,” Rey groans, “I’ve got to be the most idiotic piece of _shi_ -”

“ _Please_ ,” now he has her pinned against the wall, her waist in his grip, and grins wildly, “There’s only room for one idiotic piece of shit here and it’s _not you_.” 

He slides his hands down to the bottom of her ass, just under the hem of her dress, as he kisses that place he’d laid his head on her neck last night. Light and heat spontaneously combust in her chest as he buries his face in her neck. His long hair tickles Rey’s collarbone when he hoists her up so that she’s level with him. She wraps her legs around his back and then Kylo’s kissing her full on and Rey swears to God these will be her final moments. 

“ _Kylo-”_

She moves against him, clenching her thighs and pulling him closer as his tongue slips into her mouth. She can feel the hardness growing between his legs and her own body responds with a hot wet feeling.

It’s everything, _everything,_ and Rey can’t remember why they didn’t do this last night. Why didn’t she pull him into her lap the moment he’d woken her up and kiss him senseless? Why didn’t he make a move on the carousel?

Kylo breaks off, then kisses her bottom lip, and pulls back again. 

“ _Shit_ Rey-” 

“I know, _fuck_ I know-” 

“We-you-” 

She grabs his face and catches his lip between her teeth. He lets out a low, guttural moan as she slides her tongue slowly over his own. But he breaks their connection again and Rey smacks her head back against the wall in frustration.

“Rey-” he laughs hoarsely, “Shouldn’t I take you out to eat or something?” 

“I’m good-” she runs her hands through the hair on the nape of his neck and he makes a sound that Rey finds akin to a purr. 

“ _God_ you’re not making this easy for me.”

He smashes his lips on hers again and her hand travels, of its own accord Rey might add, down to where the top button of his shirt has come undone, and slides into it, feeling his enormous pectorals and savoring the feeling of his slick skin beneath her. 

Now that she’s secure enough between him and the wall, his own hands roam up as he cups her jaw like he did last night. His other undoes the button holding the front of her romper together. 

Rey gasps into his mouth as his thumb runs over her nipple. His mouth then moves to the most sensitive spot on her neck, licking and biting and sucking, and he starts _dry-humping_ his hips into hers and Rey is just. beyond. words.

“You’regonnakillme-” she mumbles incoherently. 

Just when Rey swears she’s going to cum from him teasing her, he brings his head up to rest his forehead on hers. He removes his hand from her breast and cups her face with both of his hands. His hips slowly stall, leaving her core hot and throbbing and so very bothered.

“Maybe that was my plan all along.” 

“Serial killer?” Rey asks, and he knows the drill by now. 

“Nope.” 

“Male escort?” 

He just laughs, the swell of his chest brushing her own and sending zaps of electricity down her spine. 

“Keep guessing over dinner tomorrow?” 

Rey leans her head away from him to look clearly at his face. It’s so genuinely sincere that she cannot reconcile this face with the man who was just driving her into the wall.

“Only if we get to do this again.” 

“Only if we get to break into the Planetarium.” 

She snorts. 

“I’m serious. The midnight adventure gang isn’t respectable with just _one_ adventure under its belt.” 

Rey can think of so many innuendos right now, it isn’t even funny. But she can’t bring herself to say any of them. 

“You do make a fair point. We wouldn’t want people thinking the midnight adventure gang are a bunch of wimps. ” 

“I know.” 

She laughs, “What the hell? All right, I’m in. Enabler.” 

“Close.” 

“Really?” She narrows her eyes at him. 

“No, not really. What would that job description be: $20 an hour for me making bad choices for you?” 

“Honestly the dream.” 

He cracks a smile, his first one all night. And Rey feels a blush creep up in her cheeks. 

Of course she’d blush now. And not when he was driving her _INTO THE WALL-_

“We should start an enabling business,” he says, slowly letting her stand. 

“Reylo’s: Making Bad Decisions since 2019.” 

He moves a piece of hair out of her face, “Perfect. Now all we need is an office space.” 

“I know a very respectable lounge area. Quiet but perfectly acceptable to snore. Welcoming to even the most brooding of individuals.” 

“Sounds like a good first meeting place for our business. Say 8 tomorrow night?”

She looks him up and down, feeling more sober than she has in _years_. She extends a palm to him, and he has to step back even further to shake it.

Rey nods at him, “Pleasure doing business with you.” 

And then turns on her heel to meet back up with her best friends. What the _hell_ was she going to tell them?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and her friends get some Taco Bell. Maz calls Rey. And our two main characters sneak off to the Planetarium for some *alone* adventure times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY SHIT GUYS. First of all thank you so much for all the kudos and comments!! I appreciate it so so so much more than you know. Second, sorry this is so late!! (I think the last chapter was like 13 days ago, which is far too long to have to wait for a story). Life just sort of got hectic for me, but I promise to try my best with this next chapter. Third, I had to update this to 6 chapters instead of 5 because stories write themselves, and this one definitely requires at least 6 chapters.   
> ALSO, you guys will probably need to get a fan or some ice-cold lemonade to cool yourself down after this one because...oh boy.  
> -Hope you enjoy ;)

“YOU DRY-HUMPED HIM AND YOU S T I L L DON’T HAVE HIS NUMBER?!”

“ _ Jesus _ Snap don’t say it like  _ that-” _ Rey wants to crawl into a hole as her friends  _ attack _ her the next day over lunch. 

Poe, Finn, Rose, Snap, Jess, and Rey were in a Taco Bell, the perfect place for hangover food. But not the perfect place to have  _ dry-humped  _ yelled in your face.

“No, no he’s right!” Poe says, biting into his burrito, “You don’t just...aggressively hook up with someone and then leave with a vague promise to meet up! Honestly shame on you  _ and him-” _

“I mean, it’s never a good idea to give your number to some rando,” Rose tips her water, “Actually sounds pretty smart to me-”

“I guess there is a thrill in the unknown. Alright, I see you Rey-” Poe nods.

“Poe you’re completely missing the point,” Rose throws a tortilla chip at him, “Self preservation. Not  _ thrill-” _

“Actually neither one of those. It just...I don’t know, felt right in the moment?” Rey shrugs.

“Are you asking us or telling us?” Jess nudges her shoulder.

There’d been no  _ logical  _ reason for her to give him her number. They lived in the same building, anyways.There was no rush for either of them. They’d already made plans for their next meeting.

No. It  _ did _ truly feel right in the moment...but for none of those logical reasons. It felt right because Rey was somehow  _ certain _ that he’d show up tonight. 

Perhaps it was in Rey’s nature or because of her job that she looked at the deeper qualities in people, but Kylo was shaping up to be one of those people you meet once in a lifetime. He was funny, sarcastic, and had the most amazing witty side to him. But he was also shy, and reserved, and such a gentleman that it made Rey’s heart clench, especially because she could tell he didn’t express that to many people. 

“Telling you,” Rey bites into her Gordita Crunch, sitting back. 

“Peanut, just...keep your guard up. I know it’s hard to hear, but even if you connect with someone that well, there’s always more to the story.” 

Rey rolls her eyes, “I know that Finn. I have been around you know.” 

“I just don’t want to see you get hurt.” 

Rey nods. It’s been  _ years _ since she’s talked about a guy for more than a day or two, much less dated. Finn could always tell with her when she’d get serious about someone. 

“Yeah and if this  _ Kylo Ren _ does anything to hurt you,” Jess mimes an elbow to the face with Snap. 

“The hell kinda name is  _ Kylo Ren _ anyways?” Snap cracks his knuckles, “Sounds ridiculous.” 

“And Snap doesn’t?” Poe laughs.

“Maybe his parents were, like, millennials ahead of their time,” Rose snorts, “You know how people name their kids things like Pebble and Toyota.” 

“Wait!” Finn gasps, “Maybe it’s like a weird version of Kyle-” 

“You guys are the  _ worst _ ,” Rey can’t bring herself to say it with a straight face.

She’d told them last night to promise not to Google him. Because, though she’d normally do that the  _ second _ she’d get anybody’s name, Rey sort of liked this getting-to-know-each-other guessing game they’d been playing. And she really didn’t want to spoil it for herself. 

But her friends wouldn’t be her friends without egging on her date just a little bit or making sure she was safe. And Rey loved them for it.

***

“I heard through the grapevine that Snoke’s gonna be rolling through with more lawyers,” Maz scoffs on speakerphone as Rey finishes her makeup. 

“Well  _ shit _ that just means more assholes like Hux to deal with.” 

“Yeah, and they’re bringing in the best of the best. You ever hear of that Solo guy that used to work for them?” 

Rey blanches, setting down her mascara.

“You mean the one who’s never lost a case? He’s infamous in my world. Don’t tell me they’re bringing him in.” 

She had never met this guy, of course. Rey had heard that he didn’t often take cases involving the System and social work, but he did pop up every now and then. Many of her colleagues had lost hard fought cases against him, despite copious amounts of evidence in favor of their clients.

“We can only hope he’s busy with another project or something. But if they did bring him in, Rey-” 

“I know,” Rey closes her eyes, thinking of that poor little boy and how he just wanted a chance at life away from the monster that is Snoke. And if they didn’t make this restraining order and conviction of child abuse stick, he would most definitely find another innocent kid to hurt. 

It was a worst case scenario, and Rey did not want to imagine it.

“Alright. Just wanted to update you. I’ll see you in the office on Monday?” 

“Yeah,” Rey chokes out, “Sounds good.” 

***

Rey sits in the lounge, chewing on her lip violently in nerves. Thank goodness she didn’t put on any lipstick or that shit would be smeared all over her teeth. 

She could not stop thinking about this Solo guy and was stressing the fuck out about him joining Snoke’s defense. 

Try as she might to be excited about her date with Kylo, Rey was just in a shitty mood. 

“Wow,” Rey hears Kylo’s voice. She turns and he’s walking closer towards her in the most exquisite casual suit. She stands up, abruptly, smoothing down the front of her black romper, “You look…” 

She smiles tightly at him. He narrows his eyes. 

“Wait, is everything okay?” 

Rey sucks at playing it cool. A fact that her friends know all too well.

“What? Yeah! Yeah, everything’s fine.” 

“Rey-” 

“What?” 

He reaches for her hand, and she lets him take it.The contact makes her hand tingle and her heart feel all fuzzy. 

“We can always do this another time if something’s up,” Kylo says, “Or not. If that’s what the problem is.” 

“No! It’s not you. I just-” she sighs, “It’s a work thing I have on my mind and it’s just...weighing real heavily on me today.” 

He frowns, running a thumb over the back of her hand, “I meant it when I said if you want to take a rain check-”

She shakes her head and pulls him closer, to where he is barely a hairsbreadth away from her. Rey trembles as his free hand goes around her waist to stabilize himself, Kylo’s suit jacket brushing up against her front. She sneaks her own free hand under his suit jacket and rests it on the well defined muscles of his back. 

_ He’s built like a God _ -

“Rey,” she looks up at him as he interlocks their fingers, “it’s o-”

But Rey doesn’t wait for him to convince her not to go out with him tonight. She genuinely, wholeheartedly wants to go. And the fact that he’s already managed to calm her down, just by standing so close to her, makes her want to spend time with him even more. 

She rises on the tips of her toes and presses a light kiss to his cheek. 

“I want to go out with you,” she whispers. 

He nods, his hair brushing against her, “If you’re sure.” 

“100%. We need to get this Enabling business rolling, remember?” 

He pulls back slightly, chuckling at Rey. 

“You’re absurd.” 

“Yet here you are.” 

He removes his hand from her waist and then steps to her side, walking next to her with their hands still interlocked.

“Yet here I am.”

***

“That’s a new one.” Rey can practically  _ feel _ Kylo smirk from the other side of the gate. 

“I’m full of surprises. Haven’t you figured that out yet?” 

“And I’m full of reluctance. Something you’ve probably already figured out,” she hears him puff out air, “Maybe we shouldn’t be doing this...a carousel was one thing-” 

They had gone to dinner at this really nice Thai place, but the excitement of the Planetarium was all the two of them could talk about. Suffice to say, it was the quickest fancy dinner Rey had ever had.

“Hold up,” Rey crosses her arms, “ _ Who  _ was the one just saying at dinner that ‘the midnight adventure gang is about to get it’s street cred’’? Oh, right, that was  _ you- _ ”

“I just don’t want to spend this night with you in jail when we could be doing something much better.” 

Rey’s cheeks heat up, and she’s glad for this tall ass fence. 

“I  _ promise you _ we won’t end up in jail. The night guard doesn’t come in for another few hours. And I know how to disable the security footage so-”

“ _ Goodness _ , Rey.” 

Oh god, he doesn’t like this darker side to her. 

_ Shit _ . Not that it’s  _ ever _ good to break in somewhere, but she’d thought he’d be one of those guys who wouldn’t care about this weird side to her. Maybe her people reading skills were off.

“Give me a second, I’m coming-” 

Rey can’t help the smile that creeps on her face as he descends to her side, his landing sloppy as hell.

“Now was that so hard?” 

“Shut up,” his permanent scowl grows even deeper and Rey just laughs. 

She grabs his hand and leads him to the small hatch in the ground with a code pad, punching the numbers in, and holding it open for him. He lets go of her hand and climbs down the ladder into the basement. They’d have to walk through the basement and up a set of stairs to get into the actual Planetarium.

“So you knew this complicated code but you couldn’t even guess 1-1-1-1 last time?” Kylo says as Rey drops down next to him, smoothing out her romper.

“Uh,  _ rude, _ ” it’s her turn to scowl, “ _ This _ code is legit, so I just assumed the other one would be. Who would ever be stupid enough to make it 1-1-1-1?” 

Ben laughs, “Oh you would be surprised.” 

They walk through the long, dimly lit basement. This time, Kylo’s so close that Rey’s hand keeps accidentally brushing his. Eventually, he just grabs her hand in his own and swings it lightly between them as they walk. 

To say Rey’s heart was thundering is an understatement.

“Cybersecurity?” 

“Man I wish. I do have a family friend in that field.” 

Rey smiles, glad that he’s finally given her an inch to get more personal with him. 

“In DC?” 

He nods. 

“Is your entire family from there? Or was it just you and your parents?” 

Kylo doesn’t say anything for a second, but then Rey looks at him and he shakes his head, like he’s clearing it of something.

“Yeah, sorry. My family’s sort of complicated...but when I was there, it was my parents, my uncle, and I.

Of course, Rey had to bring up the  _ one  _ topic he was probably uncomfortable with. It was the topic she was most uncomfortable with, too, but she had always been drawn to people with families that were  _ whole _ . It had been something she’d craved throughout her childhood but had to make for her her own.

And with expert pivoting, “So what about growing up in DC did you like?” 

He snorts, “Uh...I guess I sort of liked being in the middle of importance. You feel so much more in tune to the country and issues while you were there...it sort of makes everything you do seem worthwhile, you know?” 

Rey  _ does  _ know. And she’s never met anyone who  _ cares _ about this sort of thing as much as she does. No one who cares about not wasting a single second on this Earth. 

_ God  _ she wants to know what he does.

“That’s...yeah I do know,” Rey smiles, “Politician?” 

“Not in a million years.”

They finally reach the stairs and start to walk up them. 

“So you asked me yesterday what my likes and dislikes were-”

“Yes!” she exclaims, “Something you  _ still  _ haven’t answered-” 

“I told you. I liked you in that romper. And if you want one more, I like you in this one too,” he shuts Rey right up, “But what about you?”

She takes a deep breath, “I like my job. A  _ lot _ ...it means the world to be to get to be the person I so desperately wished for when I was growing up.” 

Kylo’s thumb strokes the back of her hand as he listens. 

“I like space and learning about what else is potentially out there. I like watching crime documentaries and sci-fi movies. I like superheroes and fantasy worlds that take you away from the awfulness in ours. I like rushes of adrenaline as much as I like calm nights in. Sometimes I think I’m a walking dichotomy, but hey, what can you do?” 

He nods. Rey only just realizes that she’d just talked his ear off, but it’s actually. 

Kylo needed to know that he could be just as open with her as she was with him. 

“It...sounds like I’m saying this just to say it, but I swear, all of the things you just said...I like them too,” he says softly, as they walk into the partially lit  _ Cells: The Universe Inside Us _ exhibit. “I like...the color black? And I like to cook. And I like my family dog, Chewie.” 

Rey nods. He’s definitely trying.

“I also like those comedy shows with stupid humor that make you laugh so hard you cry. Shocking I know,” He says to her incredulous look.

“You, Kylo Ren, Queen of Scowling, likes to laugh at dumb humor?” Rey laughs, “I never thought I’d see the day.” 

“That’s Queen of Scowling and Glares to you.” 

Rey snickers as she moves them over to the next exhibit. Her favorite. 

_ Space Exploration: Life Beyond Earth. _

“Look at this one,” she moves them over to the Corellian YT-1300f light freighter, “This was the only ship that explored the Kessel asteroid field and came back to tell the tale!” 

“It sort of looks like that Millenium Falcon from the carousel,” Kylo squints at the sign in the dim light, “Says here it was piloted by 2 men, 1 woman, and a dog?” 

“Yeah! I think they named it L3 or something,” Rey scrunches her nose, “Horrible name for a dog. But then again, my roommate’s dog is called Beebee so.” 

“Come to think of it, Chewie’s not so great a name either.” 

Rey smiles, “Those poor, innocent dogs.” 

“Right?” 

They continue walking, Rey pointing out all of her favorite ships and Kylo politely listening to her spew useless facts about them. 

Finally, they get to Rey’s second favorite place in the Planetarium. The  _ Cruise the Cosmos _ exhibit. 

It’s essentially a domed theater where you can sit down and watch the stars all above you. 

Rey, during normal business hours and not, has sat in these chairs for hours upon hours just staring at the stars. It was a good place for thinking.

They walk into the dark room, and Kylo turns the flashlight of his phone on. 

Rey walks over to the console in the center of the room and presses a few buttons, until stars start littering the dome above them. 

“Isn’t this amazing?!” Rey exclaims as she hops off the console. She looks up at the ceiling and spins in a circle, arms stretched out wide. 

“Wow,” Kylo breathes behind her, and she turns. He’s staring directly at her, face basked in the blue-tinted starry glow.

She walks over to him where he’s standing near the wall, and takes his hand, craning her neck up. 

“Now that constellation over there would be Aquila. Which you can tell because it’s shaped sort of like a bubble A,” Rey points with her free hand, “And that is Ophiuchus, which is one of my favorites because it looks like a person shrugging.” 

Kylo chuckles, “You know, it actually does.” 

“Would I lie to you?” 

“I mean you  _ were _ spouting all of those incorrect facts to me the other night.” 

She smacks his arm lightly, looking at him now, “I would  _ never _ kid about space.” 

He looks back down at her, and Rey can see the reflections of the constellations in his dark eyes. His slightly long hair frames his face as he looks down at her, and she can see every taught muscle in his clenched jaw. 

Rey barely even notices that his face is coming down towards her own and when she does, her throat hitches. 

Every inch and cell of her body seems to be tugging towards him and Rey is startled at herself. 

_ Holy shit- _

Kylo’s breath ghosts over Rey’s lips as he nudges her nose with his own. And then he’s kissing her. Under the galaxy. 

And it. is.  _ everything.  _

Rey slides a hand up to the back of his neck, stroking at the curls there, and pulling his mouth even closer to her own. 

The kiss is so soft, almost  _ thoughtful _ . It’s like every run of his mouth over hers is deliberate and meaningful. Rey just hopes she can reflect that back to him. 

Kylo presses her body flush to his own, and Rey can feel the tight muscles of his stomach against her own. 

He pulls back suddenly, and Rey groans. 

“I swear to God,” Rey’s voice is so  _ scratchy  _ right now, “If you do that one more time-” 

He laughs, resting his forehead on hers. 

“I was just going to ask if you wanted to move somewhere more...stable.” 

Rey looks disparagingly at the movie-theater seats around them and sighs. 

“The floor good?” 

He holds her at arm’s length and stares at her, “The floor.” 

“Yeah.” 

“Do you know how dirty it probably is?” 

“I mean-” 

“The bacteria alone-”

“Doctor?” 

“No. Germaphobe.”

Rey purses her lips, “I’d say let’s go back to my place but I’m pretty sure my friends are having a movie night.” 

“Yeah and my roommate is most definitely with someone,” Kylo chews on his lip, gazing past Rey.

_ Damn it. _

He’d probably hate the idea of a motel but there was a Marriott close by. Expensive? Sure, but maybe if they split it-

“I didn’t have any complaints about what happened last night,” he says, gesturing to the wall next to him with his chin.

Rey intakes a sharp breath. Oh she had no complaints either.

“Well is it  _ bacteria free _ enough for you?” She smirks up at him mischievously. 

A second later, he’s wrapping his hands around the back of her thighs and is hoisting her up to his level. Rey breathes raggedly as she clasps her arms behind his neck and wraps her legs around his torso. 

He nudges his nose against hers and then he is kissing her. Rey’s eyes flutter closed as he starts walking them towards the wall. 

How can one person have such a magnetism? 

Rey is most definitely caught in the pull and is not about to try to resist. 

“Carpenter?” She pants between kisses. 

“That was...random,” he kisses down her neck and she arches into the touch, her nipples  _ aching.  _ He’s sucking and biting the most sensitive part of her neck.

“You- _ oh god- _ have a thing for walls. There is a thought process behind these, you kn-” 

Her back thuds against the wall and he kisses the part of her neck he just ravished and moves his head back up to meet her gaze. Their faces mere inches away from one another. 

Rey lazily starts to unbutton his shirt. Kylo slowly inches his mouth towards her ear. 

“I do have a thing for walls. But only when I’m pinning you against one.” 

Her jaw  _ drops. _

“Last night,” He removes his suit jacket, “You have no idea what it took to see you walk away.” 

“You have no idea what it took to walk away from you. I just...I feel...This feels-” 

Rey shudders as he presses a kiss to just under her ear. Then, at the pulse point of her neck. 

Then, just under her jaw. Her throat. Her chin. Her cheek. 

And finally,  _ finally _ -

“I feel it too.”

Rey has never been patient. She pulls him up to her in a bruising kiss. 

Kylo grips Rey’s hips and pulls her close, so the lower half of her back is off of the wall and connecting with every part of his hard abdomen. 

He raises one of his hands to card through Rey’s hair and their kiss becomes messy. Their lips start sliding and missing and moving urgently, like this will be the last time their lips will ever meet and not one of their first. Rey just melts at his touch.

_ This is insanity.  _

This is what heaven must feel like. 

Rey eventually manages to take a breath for a second, and she tucks some stray hair out of his face. He looks at her with a clear as water expression on his face, and Rey can’t help but admire how good he looks under these stars. 

“What?” He laughs, working away at the tie of her romper behind her neck. 

“Just keep looking at me like that.” If possible, his look becomes even more sincere. Rey runs her hands along the plane of his half bare chest.

He’s so  _ warm- _

“As long as you keep looking at  _ me _ like that,” he finishes undoing the tie and holds the straps up for her, “You sure you’re alright with this? We can do as much or as little as you want.” 

Oh dear  _ god  _ the irony. She never would have even met Kylo if it hadn’t been for Finn and Poe having sex. And, right now, this feels a little like coming full circle. 

Rey cups his cheek, “I want all of you.” 

Kylo growls,  _ like actually growls,  _ and slowly brings the straps down to Rey’s waist, exposing the entire top half of her body. 

She didn’t wear a bra. And right now, she’s mentally high-fiving herself for it.

His mouth goes straight to her right nipple, biting and sucking so roughly that Rey can’t contain her moans. The free hand not currently supporting her arched back, goes to twist and tug at her left one.

“ _ Kylo-” _ she grunts, pressing her hips deeper into his. Heat throbs persistently at her core and she  _ needs  _ him to relieve it. 

She gently pushes him  _ off of her boob _ to unbutton his shirt fully, and he looks back at her with a slightly guilty expression. Looking down, Rey can already see bruises forming.

“Rude,” she narrows her eyes at him playfully.

“Sorry. I got a little carried away.” 

Rey bites her lip to hide her smile, “Looks like I’m gonna have to even the score.” 

His expression darkens significantly, and Rey nearly tears Kylo’s shirt off of his body. He makes quick work of his belt and flings that across the room. 

The clatter that it makes causes goosebumps all over Rey’s skin. 

“ _ Jesus Christ _ how are you real?” Kylo whispers, hands making soft strokes on her waist.

Her  _ entire body _ just  _ throbs _ and Rey doesn’t know what to do with herself besides keep working the zipper down his pants.

She has to get off of Kylo and stand up to remove them and, in doing so, her own romper falls off. 

So here they are. Two delinquents who broke into a Planetarium. Under the stars. Staring at each other in only their underwear.

“I’m dreaming,” Kylo shakes his head as Rey drops the last scrap of her clothing.

“I could pinch you,” Rey shrugs, her voice hoarse, “If you’re into that.” 

“I mean-” He rests a hand on the wall next to her head.

“BDSM club owner?”

He laughs fully, his chin against his chest as he tries to hide the accompanying smile. The sound vibrates through Rey’s chest and if she doesn’t feel him against her soon she’s pretty sure she’s going to implode. 

He has an amazing laugh. And an amazing smile. Her eyes trail past him for a second, when she sees the computer console in the center of the room. It’s a desk, better than a  _ wall _ , and if they’re careful-

Soon Rey starts to laugh too and Kylo’s head instantly perks up.

“You laughing at your own ridiculousness?” 

“No,” Rey runs her hands up his broad and glistening chest, “I just saw the console over there and realized…” 

He bites his lip to hide another smile, and Rey moves a hand up to his mouth to touch it. He turns his face into her palm. 

“I’m so screwed,” Kylo says into it. 

“Well I want to be too _ ,” _ Rey smiles cheekily, “On that console.” 

His chest contracts sharply into his body.

The next thing she knows the back of her thighs are hitting the desk and she’s sitting on top of it. Her mouth hasn’t left his since their relocation and Rey is panting and gasping and so incredibly turned on. 

She’s far beyond words when his thumb finds her clit and starts circling it. He starts off slow, with small, exploratory rounds before adding pressure and hitting all the right spots. 

“Oh,  _ oh _ ,” Rey breathes as he inserts a finger, her toes curling. 

“ _ Shit Rey _ ...So fucking  _ wet _ ,” he says as Rey starts thrusting herself against his fingers.

Needing to do something with her hands, she reaches down to the tent in his underwear and slips her hand under the waistband.

They stop kissing now, foreheads pressed together in a sweaty touch, and breaths mixing as they stroke one another. 

It’s so fucking hot.

Rey is close. She can feel the coil in the pit of her stomach tighten and tighten and tighten until she’s sure she’s dangling off of a cliff with a rope that’s steadily breaking. 

He adds another finger. And another. And Rey’s hand against him slackens considerably. 

“Sorry-” she mumbles.

“Are you kidding?” He drops down onto his knees and starts running his tongue against her folds as his fingers continue to move in and out.

“ _ Fuck-” _ Rey flops back onto the console, gripping the edge tightly.

She’s done for. 

The world explodes in colors and stars and heat and all she can remember is his name. 

When she finally comes back to herself, he is standing and smiling wildly down at her. 

_ Smiling. _

With Rey’s wetness glistening on his chin. 

Her legs shake as she hops off of the console and kneels in front of him, slowly dragging down his boxers until his cock springs up in freedom.

Rey’s mouth goes dry at the sight of him bare before her.

“You don’t have to-” 

“Radio host?” Rey looks up at him.

He chuckles, “Because I talk too much?” 

“Exactly,” she says, taking him into her mouth. 

Now, Rey hasn’t had  _ much  _ experience with this...after all she’s only had sex three times in her life. Okay it was more like 2 times and a half. 

But the way Kylo has his head tossed back, and is saying her name like a prayer over and over has her thinking she’s at least got this down. 

She kisses the head on her next run down, adding her hand for even more pressure. She takes him all the way to the back of her throat. Not gagging, but as far as she can take him, running her tongue up and down his long shaft.

“If,  _ God _ , if you don’t stop I’m gonna-” 

He starts involuntarily thrusting into Rey’s mouth, and now she does gag. But she doesn’t stop, bobbing her head even more vigorously as her hand strokes at his base. 

With a string of curses he cums into her mouth, and Rey keeps her mouth around him, swallowing even though it tastes awful.

When she sits back on her knees, he sits on his own in front of her. They’re both panting wildly. 

“I thought there was too much bacteria on the floor?” 

“I do love our sexy talk,” Kylo says, and Rey blushes as he kisses her softly.

To be quite frank, she’s ready to go again. To go a  _ lot  _ further. 

But she knows that’s not how it works with guys. And it’s already pretty late as it is. 

And the two of them have  _ time _ . 

That made her giddy as  _ hell _ . They were going to have time to get to know each other. Likes, dislikes, quirks, turn ons, and turn offs. Favorite things and places and people. 

If her face wasn’t already red-

“We should probably get going,” Rey breaks off from the kiss, Kylo’s hand still cupping her cheek. 

“Yeah. That’s probably a good idea.” 

They both stand up shakily, and Kylo gives her another sweet kiss before going to get their clothing from where it’s strewn all over the room.

“Rey?” 

“Hmm?” Her mind is still lost somewhere in the after-sex fog. 

“I know we ate dinner and all. But-” 

“Pizza?” She grins wide at him. 

“Pizza.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey finally guesses Kylo's job right. And the answer is not what she expected at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiiiiii. Sorry this is really late, I just got really busy with school and work and everything sort of piled on all at once. This is a short little chapter and I'm not sure when the final one will be posted but keep an eye out! I promise I will eventually finish this story haha.   
> Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy! Let me know what you think ;)

He doesn’t stop smiling at Rey the entire way home. And her heart just? stops? Functioning?

Kylo had been so fucking respectful that it made Rey’s heart hurt thinking about it. And that natural conversation that flowed between them calmed her nerves that had been racing like wild horses.

For once in a long time, Rey feels at peace.

“...and so she runs out of the kitchen screaming her head off. We all follow her back to see just,” Rey makes an overflowing gesture with her hand, “Bubbles. All over the fucking kitchen.” 

“You’re shitting me. That would’ve been so hard to clean-” Kylo deadpans, “I mean...I guess bubbles are technically part of the cleaning process.” 

“Shut up,” Rey grins at him, trying to reign in her own laughter, “Anyways. At this point we’re all ,like, frantically grabbing for paper towels and Rose runs to get actual towels, but the bubbles just keep flowing, no matter how much we try to clean it. It took us a solid 10 minutes to realize we should just turn the fucking machine off!” 

Rey is shaking from laughter as she punches in her code to the building.

“I would’ve had an aneurysm if that happened in my kitchen,” Kylo shakes his head, laughing, “How do you mix up dish soap and dishwater detergent? Like, wouldn’t you just feel off squeezing the wrong bottle into the dishwasher?”

Kylo holds open the door to their apartment building and gestures her in with a hand on the small of her back. 

“Right?! I don’t even know. I think she kept them in the same cabinet or something. It was just too fun-”

“Hey Rey!” The concierge, Harun, calls out to Rey as they pass his desk, “Package for you.”

It was probably that legal jargon Maz had wanted her to go over and sign ASAP.  _ Fuckkkkk _ , she should probably deal with it tonight and send it out first thing tomorrow. 

“Go on ahead, I’ll be there in a sec,” she whispers back to Kylo. He smiles, gripping her hand tightly once, stroking the pulse point next to her palm, before letting go and moving around the corner to the lounge area. 

Jesus- _ fuck _ it was going to be so hard to say goodbye tonight. But Rey knows that what she’s doing is bigger than herself, and so damn necessary, that it makes her decision easier. 

“Thanks Harun,” Rey smiles as she signs for the package. 

“No problem,” he takes the form from her and hands her the orange envelope, “Kylo Ren, huh?” 

Rey laughs a little, “Yeah. I guess so.” 

“Hmm,” Harun nods, “Good luck to you both.” 

Rey furrows her brows at the odd statement but smiles and nods at him. 

She glances down at the package, drumming her fingers against Maz’s messy scrawl as she rounds the corner of the hallway leading to the lounge area. 

“...there’s little time left,  _ Solo _ .” 

Rey stops short, behind a translucent glass wall, heart hammering in her chest. 

_ Solo _ . As in that smart-ass lawyer-Solo who was about to ruin the case for Maz?

“Does it look like I give a shit, Hux?” Rey is startled that Hux is here. But she thinks the true sense of her unease is that this second voice,  _ Solo _ ’s voice, is quiet and deeply menacing. For some reason, Rey finds it vaguely familiar. 

“Snoke has been calling you over and over-” 

Solo. And Hux. So the rumors had been true. They were bucking up his defense.

“-And I told him I’d have to think about taking his case. We both know he did it, it’s only a matter of how bad he’ll fuck us all over when its through.” 

Rey’s hands shake as she pulls out her cell phone to record this conversation. They have to be able to use this-

“Where’s your sense of loyalty,  _ Solo? _ ” Hux says, “You probably lost it around the time you changed your name to fucking  _ Kylo Ren _ .” 

Rey’s heart plummets.

It’s sort of like an out of body experience, hearing her phone and the package of documents smack the floor. Rey scrambles to pick them up as the two men whip in her direction. 

Kylo’s eyes grow wide as she watches him switch from big, tall and menacing to his earlier, softer demeanor. 

She’d gone out with him. 

Laughed with him. 

Shared her favorite places with him.

Been  _ vulnerable _ with him. 

And his heartless ass was probably just using this to rattle her on the case. Maybe weaseling his way into her heart so he could get some insider information. 

They always said Solo played the game dirty. But never in a million years did Rey think she’d get caught in the middle of something like this. Never did she think she’d fall so blindly for something like this. 

“Rey,” Kylo walks up to her fast, “It’s not what you think-” 

“Lawyer?” she asks, laughing incredulously.

She can’t do this. Rey can’t stand the sight of his stupid face anymore. She picks up the package and heads toward the stairs.

“Wait, Rey-”

”No, you know what? I should’ve guessed it was too good to be true,” Rey turns abruptly, shaking her head, “And  _ of course _ you’re representing Snoke.”

The universe just wanted to make her life one big joke, didn’t it? 

Well  _ fuck you too,  _ universe.

“It’s not what you think-” Kylo runs his hands through his hair.

“It is, actually,” Hux rings in his two cents, “Because Ren will be representing Snoke the next time you see him. You better tell your small lawyer friend to buck up her defense.”

“ _ Fuck you _ , Hux.”

Rey wants nothing more than to punch the red-head in his stupidly small mouth right now. But she just settles for a single fingered gesture, and bolts up the stairs.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow it's been a hot minute! But here's the final installment of sExiled! I had so much fun writing this story (for the long ass time it took me) and I'm so glad we're finally at the end. I'm probably gonna write a pretty great epilogue for this one to wrap it up even nicer and I don't know how long that's gonna take me, but for now here's the conclusion. I hope you guys like it! Comment and lemme know what you think :)
> 
> (ALSO ANYONE ELSE SO FUCKING HYPE FOR TROS??)

Rey checks another name on her list as the judge approves a mother of six to sit on the jury. A solid ally for their side. Since she was consulting with Maz on this case, she was approved to sit in on the jury selection.

Maz chews on her thumb as the judge begins to interview Potential Juror #38. This one would most definitely sway towards Snoke’s side: a single middle-aged insurance broker. Rey watches as Maz throws Hux a death glare across the courtroom. 

It had been 2 months since Rey had found out Kylo’s secret. 2 months of skillfully avoiding him in their building. 2 months of earplugs and loud music rather than going down to the lounge. 

So far he hadn’t shown up to any part of the trial proceedings which was not uncommon for him, as Rey found out by talking to some colleagues. He was most likely working behind the scenes, undermining their every move. 

Rey and Maz had worked overtime for the past month attempting to prepare for every scenario Solo could throw at them. Still, it seemed they only had just barely enough beyond a reasonable doubt. At this point, all they could do is wait to see what the defense was going to do. 

After another hour and a half, Rey and Maz were released and the trial date set. A week and a half. 

*** 

“ _ Harder!” _

Rey groans as she sits straight up in bed, glancing over at her clock. 

_ 3:00AM?!?!?!? _

She gets up out of bed and knocks on her roommates’ door. 

Finn answers it, fully clothed in a shirt and pajama pants and rubbing his eyes. 

“What’s up, peanut?” 

“Wha-”

She looks past him to see Poe sprawled out asleep on their bed. 

“Is everything okay? Is it the trial tomorrow?” 

“What? No, I-” 

“ _ Oh, YES!”  _

Finn cringes at the sound. It was coming from the bedroom  _ above  _ Rey’s room. That would be their older friends Cassian and Jyn. 

“If you want, I can go tell them to quiet down,” Finn slings an arm across her shoulders. 

Rey considers, but she knows Cass is only home for a few days between deployments, and they have to be missing each other. 

Rey has to be up in just three hours anyways so she could just go sleep in the lounge. It was late enough that he-who-must-not-be-named wouldn’t be there and she could just take a quick nap and be up and ready for the day. 

“It’s fine. I think I’m just gonna take a quick nap in the lounge and then start prepping for the trial.” 

Finn purses his lips but nods. 

*** 

It’s late. Like, way past Rey’s bedtime late. And she’s just finished consulting with Maz and the other prosecutors about today’s-well, technically  _ yesterday’s _ \- trial. 

Rey practically  _ stumbles _ back into the building, heels in hand, feeling like she’s been beaten up. The trial today consisted of Snoke entering a plea (“Not guilty,” he had said with his snake-like voice), Maz spectacularly nailing her opening statement (“And over the course of this trial we will prove that having money, also known as having the capability to bribe others to bend to your will and keep your secrets, does not give you the right to harm a child in any capacity.”), and back and forth witness testimonies. 

The defense had a very compelling argument for Snoke being an old man with many injuries and incapable of inflicting such harm on a child. The jury ate it up.

Rey sighs, rubbing her temples. She was helping herself to a huge helping of Poe’s baked alaska tonight and then taking a nice long shower. 

Rey passes through the lounge to the elevators when she spots a familiar long black coat draped over one of the lounge chairs. 

_ Nope. Not tonight.  _

Rey furiously presses the up button on the elevator, glancing around to make sure he wasn’t there. He was not present at the trial today, which confused Rey greatly. But maybe they were waiting until they needed the strongest rebuttal to call him in. 

Either that or he was ghost writing the defense’s case. 

_ This damn elevator. _

He was probably in the bathroom. And she wouldn’t have too much more time. 

Rey glances over to the stairwell and, after mentally preparing herself for the horrendous ascent, runs towards the door and yanks it open. Her face suddenly hits a brick wall. 

A brick wall that has its long arms now holding her shoulders.

_ Oh fuck.  _

Frozen in place, Rey slowly lets her eyes crawl up the expanse of a person in front of her, until she meets those familiar eyes. 

Her body jerks then, the shock of meeting his gaze too much for her to handle. 

“Rey,” he says, and her heart skips a beat.

No,  _ no _ . 

She won’t be this girl. She won’t let herself fawn over him and forget what he did. How he  _ lied  _ to her. How he’s helping an absolute  _ monster _ with no remorse. 

“Kylo,” she says with as much ice in her voice as she can muster, “Please let go of me.”

As if just realizing he still had a grip on her, he removes his hands like he’s been burned. 

“H-How’ve you be-”

“I can’t do this,” she steps back as she hears the  _ ding  _ of the stupid elevator finally arriving. 

“Rey, please just hear me out-” 

“No thank you. I’ve had a long ass day, as you very well know,” Rey pivots on her heel, stalking toward the opening elevator doors. 

“Rey-”

She doesn’t respond as she gets into the elevator and hits her floor.

“Rey-”

She doesn’t look at him as she wills the doors to close faster. 

“I was never on the case!” 

Her eyes snap up to meet his gaze just as the doors close. 

Never on the case? That couldn’t be. They’d all known that Solo was brought on. They were all aware of his ever-looming presence. Of his ruthlessness in court. Of his affiliation with Hux and Snoke...it couldn’t be.

Had there truly been a conflict within him? Had he seen the error of his ways? 

The elevator doors open to her floor, and Rey just stands in the elevator, taking deep heaving breaths. 

She has to know.

“Well, fuck me,” Rey hits the first floor button and descends back downwards. 

When the elevator doors open, she sees him sitting against the door to the stairwell, head in his hands. He looks up at the ding, and his eyes are rimmed with red and sparkling. Almost as if he’d been crying. 

But those eyes. Something so familiar in them. 

Maz had once told her she’d seen the same eyes in different people. The eyes of people who choose to do good and be good despite whatever circumstances have been given to them. The eyes on Kylo Ren were, she decides, those eyes. She’d seen them in Finn, Poe, Rose, and all of their other friends. She’d seen them in Maz and in all of her colleagues who had fought for good and for the protection of children all these years. She’d seen them in the mirror.

Rey steps out of the elevator, dropping her bag and shoes to the ground. 

In a quivering voice she says, “I’m listening.” 

***

“My mother is a senator in DC. You’ll probably recognize her name: Leia Organa,” Kylo starts out. 

Of  _ course _ Rey recognizes that name. Senator Organa had fought for children’s rights and education for most of her tenure. Her programs had benefited Rey greatly when she was in the system. 

“And my father was a high ranking military general in the Air Force. Han Solo. They both always wanted what was best for me. I know they did. But they were always busy, and I practically never saw them after the age of 10,” he sighs, “When I was 11, they sort of forced me to intern with my uncle Luke, who’s a lawyer who does a lot of pro-bono work. And I realized that I too had a calling for law. I was great at it, loved learning about it, and an expert in consulting on cases. 

“At 11 years old?” Rey furrows her brows.

He chuckles sarcastically, “Apparently I was some prodigy. My grandfather was a notoriously famous ruthless lawyer back in the day, so everyone blamed it on my genes...anyways I eventually applied and got into one of the best law schools in the country. The problem was, I was on bad terms with my parents and had no money to pay for it.”

Rey chews on her thumb as she glances at him next to her on the couch. 

“And then...the First Order heard about me. They knew my legacy and reached out. Now, my uncle had told me for as long as I could remember what horrible people they were. How they only cared about making money and not about their clients, which is disrespectful to the law profession. But they approached me and told me that they would pay my way through law school if I promised to work off my debt with them after I graduated. My uncle,” Kylo shakes his head, “He said I would fall to the dark side of the law if I accepted the offer. But at that point I was so tired of other people making decisions for me that I decided to say yes.” 

“Did you not think there was any other way for you to pay for school?” Rey asks exasperatedly. God knew she had found her way through grad school after coming from nothing. 

“Of course there was,” Kylo says, “But I was young. And naive. And so incredibly stupid that I thought that defying my family was the only way to feel like I truly belonged in this profession. I thought that being ruthless and going for what I wanted would make me a better lawyer.” 

Rey shakes her head in disbelief. 

“So my uncle renounced me and told my parents, who stopped any and all contact with me. And that pushed me further to the First Order. And when I graduated law school that anger pushed me to do things I...that I still have a hard time thinking about. It...I-” he sighs, rubbing his hands together, “I defended people who should be rotting in jail for life. I’ve destroyed evidence, I’ve threatened people...and none of it got rid of that burning anger I felt in my bones.” 

Rey presses her hands in her lap to keep them from shaking.

“But then...I can’t explain it but it was a dream I had that changed me. My parents used to have this friend, Mister Kenobi, who was like a grandfather figure to them. I’m named after him, actually. And in this dream, it was like he was speaking to me. It was like he could see that burning anger in my soul and told me it was blinding me to my actions. And when I woke up, and took a good look at what I was doing,” Kylo swipes at his eyes then and Rey only just notices that he’s crying. “ _ God _ it sounds so stupid but I swear it’s true.”

She instinctively grabs for his hand. And, when her mind catches up with what her body just did, she blushes deeply but doesn’t let go. 

“It’s alright.” 

“It  _ wasn’t _ ,” he angrily wipes at his tears, “The number of people I had hurt. I couldn’t stand it anymore. So I legally changed my name. The First Order had a claim on Ben Solo, but they had none on Kylo Ren. That was mine and mine alone. And suddenly, with more control over myself, I saw the clarity of what I had to do. I made amends with my family, and with my uncle’s help, have been gathering insider evidence against the First Order over the past year.”

Rey’s breath catches. 

“You’ve been spying on them.” 

“Yes. We’ve been building a case,” Kylo nods.

“But the debt you owe them,” Rey furrows her brows, “Will they not be able to drag you down with them?” 

“It’s worth it. To me, having their corruptness out of our justice system is worth any penalty. It’s worth me going to jail if that’s what it takes.” 

“No,” Rey says, almost angrily, “ _ I won’t let that happen _ .” 

“Regardless,” Kylo strokes the back of her hand that is still in his. Rey’s heart thuds loud enough she can hear it in her ears, “Destroying the First Order eased a lot of my anger, but it was when I met you that everything stilled.”

Rey hears ringing in her ears, “W-what?”

“That first night I had with you was the first time I felt like the world wasn’t just filled with corruptness. I felt lighter than I’d ever felt before. I felt so at peace,” Kylo glances down at their hands now. 

She felt for him. Rey felt the pain and anger that he’d felt so acutely that it hurt her own heart. In her own life, she’d done some dark things before realizing how to use the pain of her childhood for good. She  _ knew  _ him, because she was the same. 

But Rey still had one more question. 

“What about Snoke’s case?” She whispers. 

“When I met you, and I felt that lightness, I realized that night that I couldn’t keep working for them. We’d built a good enough case that I immediately severed ties, which is why I didn’t tell you. And then we had the whole ‘guess my profession’ game going and I thought that if I could escape from the hell of my reality with you…” Kylo sighs, “I’m so deeply sorry Rey. For everything. I’ve been beside myself trying to figure out how to make things right.” 

“I’m sorry too. Kylo-” 

“You have  _ changed my life _ .” 

Rey’s vision is suddenly blurry with tears. She feels them roll down her cheeks as she stares at his downtrodden face. 

Rey whispers back, “I...I used to just go through the motions every day. I never cared about anything but my friends and my job. I...used to be so angry all the time too.” 

Kylo’s head whips up and their gazes lock once again. 

“I was angry at the family that had abandoned me. I was angry at the system I found myself in. I was so angry at the world until I found a job that gave me purpose. You’re not alone in your anger.” 

“Neither are you,” Kylo says softly. 

They stare at one another for a few heartbeats. 

“People think they know me,” Rey breathes out, “No one really does.” 

“But I do,” Kylo raises a hand to her cheek. 

She knows he does. He understands her in a deep way that Rey had felt since the first time they met. He understands her pain and anger in a way that she hadn’t realized until now.

This brave, beautiful man.

Rey leans into the touch, “No more lies. No more secrets.” 

“Never again. I promise you,” Kylo shakes his head. 

“Good,” Rey leans in and presses her lips to his. 

His reaction is immediate and so incredibly soft. His lips part for hers, so slowly and reverently that she wants to cry. 

_ God _ , she’s missed him. Missed feeling this close to him.

He breaks the kiss, resting his forehead on hers, breaths coming in pants. 

“Rey?” 

“Yeah?” 

“We should get pizza sometime,” he says and she snickers, “I know this great place down the street.” 

“Sorry, I don’t eat pizza anymore,” she deadpans, and he pulls away, inspecting her as if there’s something wrong, “It’s just not healthy-”

“Sad. I guess I’ll just go by myself then.”

“Sad little Kylo walking all alone to the pizza store.” 

“Oh, you think I  _ won’t? _ ” 

She smirks so widely her jaw tightens and he throws it right back at her.

“Don’t you dare,” Rey grins widely and pulls him in for another kiss. 


End file.
